Mattress

ABSTRACT

A mattress, for use in treating a patient who has undergone extensive surgery or who has been severely burned, comprises an upper panel a lower panel and means for supplying air to the space between said panels, said lower panel being of airimpermeable material and at least a part of said upper panel being perforate to allow conditioned air to issue therefrom to impinge on and pass around said patient to substantially isolate said patient from ambient air and to reduce strain on his heart and promote healing.

United States Patent [191 [11] 3,778,851

Howorth Dec. 18, 1973 1 MATTRESS 3,644,950 2/1972 Lindsay, Jr. 5/348[751 Inventor: Frederick Hugh i M 512323232 51323$113552;;11i::::...............::::' i3

Chorley, Lancashire, England [73] Assignee: Haworth Air ConditioningLimited,

Bolton, Lancashire, England Filed: Feb. 24, 1972 Appl. No.: 228,924

Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 2, 1971 Great Britain 5,838/71US. Cl 5/347, 5/91, 297/453,

- 297/DIG. 3 Int. Cl A47c 27/08, A47c 27/18 Field of Search.....5/347-350; 297/453, DIG. 3

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1972 Lapidus 5/347 PrimaryExaminerCasmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Kenwood Ross et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A mattress, for use in treating a patient who hasundergone extensive surgery or who has been severely burned, comprisesan upper panel a lower panel and means for supplying air to the spacebetween said panels, said lower panel being of air-impermeable materialand at least a part of said upper panel being perforate to allowconditioned air to issue therefrom to impinge on and pass around saidpatient to substantially isolate said patient from ambient air and toreduce strain on his heart and promote healing.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures MATTRESS This invention relates to amattress, particularly but.

not exclusively, for use in the treatment and resuscitation of patientsin hospital, or at home.

In order to resuscitate a patient after extensive surgery it isdesirable that the body be enclosed in a microclimate, that is anenvironment containing conditioned air. This air may be bacteria-freeand have its temperature and humidity controlled to prevent excessivemetabolisation and remove strain from the patients heart, oralternatively, accelerate healing of, for instance burns.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mattress whereon apatient, suffering, for instance, from shock, hypothermia or burns, canbe supported and his body, which may be covered by a sheet, exposed to amicroclimate of conditioned air to encourage resuscitation, which isrelatively cheap to manufacture and which does not require a very largeair supply. It is desirable that free flow of this air is not hinderedor stopped by compression of the mattress by the weight of the patientsupported thereby.

Accordingly the invention provides a mattress comprising a lower panelof air-impermeable material, an upper panel and means for supplying airto the space between the panels, the upper panel having at least part ofits area perforate and provided with apertures whence conditioned airfrom the said space can issue and so impinge on and pass around apatient lying on the mattress.

The upper panel can be of air permeable material, and thus beeffectively perforate over its entire surface or can be of an airimpermeable material and have a central area thereof provided withapertures to render it air permeable.

By conditioned air is meant air which may be bacteria-free and of apredetermined temperature and humidity.

Preferably the panels are generally rectangular and attached to eachother along lines parallel to the longitudinal edges of the panels so asto divide up the interior of the mattress into a plurality ofinter-connected ribs.

Advantageously, the ribs comprise two pairs of side ribs and one or twoend ribs, disposed beneath the imperforate peripheral border of the toppanel, and a plurality of longitudinally extending central ribs disposedbeneath the central area of the top panel.

Conveniently, and to prevent the weight of a patient I from collapsingany ofthe central ribs completely, each central rib has a spine ofresilient material therein. Each such spine can extend centrally of eachcentral rib and so divide the rib into two air supply channels alongwhich air can pass even when the spine is compressed by the weight of apatient.

The supply means can comprise a header manifold, disposed parallel tobut outside one end rib, or inside an end rib, and connected to a supplyof conditioned air, and two supply tubes, connected to the manifold andone extending inside one of each pair of side ribs of the mattress. Whenthe manifold is disposed outside the mattress a slot is provided at eachend of the said one end rib to allow easy entry of the tubes. Each tubehas its end remote from the header open, if a second end rib isprovided, for supplying air to the other end rib, and an apertureadjacent its manifold end for supplying air to the one end rib.

Each tube is conveniently of foamed plastics material and extends alongan outer one of the respective pair of side ribs. Each inner side ribcan accommodate a resilient foam plastics cushioning tube.

The side ribs are advantageously deeper than the central ribs so that arecess is defined thereby beneath the central ribs, this recessaccommodating a resilient foam plastics material block. The wholemattress can comprise an outer cover of air permeable textile materialsuch as cambric.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspectiveview, from above, of a preferred embodiment of mattress conforming tothe invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line II-IIof FIG. 1.

A preferred embodiment of mattress 9 conforming to the inventioncomprises upper and lower generally rectangular panels 10 and 11 offlexible synthetic plastics material. The panels are attached to, aroundtheir peripheries, for example by being integral or by being welded orsewn. The panels 10 and 11 are attached together by a plurality oflongitudinally extending parallel seams, 12, each of the seams 12extending from a position near to but spaced apart from one end of themattress 9 to a position near to but spaced from the other end of themattress 9. It will thus be appreciated that the seams l2 divide themattress 10 into two pairs of longitudinally extending side ribs 13, 14and 15, 16 and a plurality of longitudinally extending central ribs 17.The panel has an end rib l8 and its other end 19 is generally flat. Thatperipheral portion of the upper panel 10 which is above end rib l8, andpart 19 and side ribs 13, l4, 15, 16 is imperforate, as is the entirelower panel 11, but a central area 20 of the upper panel 10 above thecentral ribs 17 is provided with a plurality of apertures 21 for apurpose which will be described later.

The end portion 19 and the other end portion adjacent are provided withstrips 26 of hook and pile material secured thereto to facilitateattachment of the mattress 9 to a support, such as a bed, havingcomplementary strips.

Centrally and longitudinally of each central rib 17 extends a spine 22of foamed plastics material, each spine 22 being of thickness equal toabout that thickness which the central ribs 17 would assume if themattress 9 was inflated.

Supply means of the mattress comprises a header manifold (not shown) oflength equal to about the width of the mattress l0 and disposed insideend rib 18. An end portion 23 of the manifold protrudes from one end ofend rib 18. A pair of supply tubes 24, 25 of resilient foam plasticsmaterial, extend at right angles from the manifold and are disposedinside side ribs 13 and 16. Resilient foam plastics material cushioningtubes 27, 28 extend along side ribs 14 and 15.

The side ribs l3, l4, l5, 16 are deeper than the ribs 17 and a recess isthus defined beneath ribs 17 which can accommodate a block 33 ofresilient foamed plastics material as an extra support for a patient onthe mattress.

The tubes 24, 25 have their open free ends disposed adjacent end portion19 of the mattress, for supplying air thereto, and has an aperture closeto but spaced from its manifold end for supplying air to the one endrib. The manifold is, in use, connected to a supply of conditioned air,that is air which has its temperature and humidity controlled and whichmay be bacteria free.

When a patient is supported by the mattress 9 and the supply ofconditioned air switched on, air issues from the apertures 21 in theribs 17 and ensures a plentiful supply of air to the patients body.Although the weight of the patient may tend to compress the ribs 17 thespines 22 of foamed plastics material ensure, even when they are fullycompressed, that air channels 29 exist on each side of the spines 22 sothat air can still reach the patient. The supply of air required isabout 50 cubic feet of air per minute.

In order that the mattress 9 is not contaminated by the patient themattress 9 is surrounded by an airpermeable mattress cover 30. Thiscover 30 is in the form of a rectangular bag, an upper surface 31 ofwhich is made from fine mesh so as to be readily permeable to airissuing from the apertures 21 in the mattress 10, and the lower surface32 which is of a less permeable woven textile material. The cover 30protects the mattress 9 against contamination by the patient but stillallows air from the mattress 9 to contact and flow around his body.

The invention is not limited to the precise details of the foregoingdescription and variations can be made thereto within the scope of thefollowing claims. For example the configuration of the ribs need not beas de scribed and can be varied as desired into any practicalarrangement. The mattress need not comprise ribs but could have aplurality of interconnected cells or pockets. The mattress can be madefrom any air-impervious material such as close-woven textile material orplastic.

As an alternative the upper panel can be made from air-permeablematerial, for example a textile material and thus be effectivelyperforate over its entire area.

The supply means need not be as described and the manifold can bedisposed outside and parallel to rib 18, a pair of slits in rib 18allowing tubes 24, 25 to enter the side ribs 13, 16. The supply meanscan comprise a plurality of air supply tubes connecting with variouspoints on the periphery or underside of the mattress. The seams 12 canhave gaps therein to allow air to pass more easily from tubes 24, 25 toribs 17.

The spines need not be continuous and each can comprise a plurality ofdiscrete portions of material spaced apart along each rib. Many othervariations are, of course, possible.

I claim:

1. A mattress comprising: a block of resilient material for supporting apatient and on top of the block aeration means comprising a lower sheetand an upper sheet attached together to define chambers containingpieces of resilient foamed plastics material, the lower sheet being airimpermeable and the upper sheet being air permeable, and air supplymeans for supplying conditioned air to the chambers to issue from thetop sheet to impinge on and pass around a patient lying on the mattress.

2. A mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panels are attached toeach other by seams dividing the aeration means into a plurality ofinterconnected ribs, each rib having a spine of resilient plasticsmaterial extending therealong, each spine being narrower than the rib inwhich it is disposed.

3. A mattress as claimed in claim 2, wherein the aeration means has sideribs which are larger than the aforementioned ribs and which contain airsupply tubes and serve to locate the aeration means on the block.

4. A mattress as claimed in claim 2, wherein the seams are discontinuousto allow air to flow from rib to rib.

5. A mattress as claimed in claim 1, in combination with a cover in theform of a bag having an air permeable upper surface which may protectthe mattress from contamination by a patient but still allow air fromthe mattress to reach the patient.

1. A mattress comprising: a block of resilient material for supporting apatient and on top of the block aeration means comprising a lower sheetand an upper sheet attached together to define chambers containingpieces of resilient foamed plastics material, the lower sheet being airimpermeable and the upper sheet being air permeable, and air supplymeans for supplying conditioned air to the chambers to issue from thetop sheet to impinge on and pass around a patient lying on the mattress.2. A mattress as claimed in claim 1, wherein the panels are attached toeach other by seams dividing the aeration means into a plurality ofinterconnected ribs, each rib having a spine of resilient plasticsmaterial extending therealong, each spine being narrower than the rib inwhich it is disposed.
 3. A mattress as claimed in claim 2, wherein theaeration means has side ribs which are larger than the aforementionedribs and which contain air supply tubes and serve to locate the aerationmeans on the block.
 4. A mattress as claimed in claim 2, wherein theseams are discontinuous to allow air to flow from rib to rib.
 5. Amattress as claimed in claim 1, in combination with a cover in the formof a bag having an air permeable upper surface which may protect themattress from contamination by a patient but still allow air from themattress to reach the patient.